Zunar is best known for his provocative cartoons that lampoon issues of high-level abuse of government power and corruption. His portraits are published both in books and on the Malaysiakini news website, one of the country’s few independent news publications. Malaysian police and authorities have claimed on several occasions that Zunar’s cartoons are “detrimental to public order” and run afoul of the country’s sedition law.

The latest legal threat against Zunar comes amid a government crackdown on dissent, a heavy-handed response to the long-ruling United Malays National Organization’s waning popularity and legitimacy, a theme that Zunar’s cartoons have frequently portrayed. The cartoonist has been temporarily detained twice–in 2010 and 2015–on accusations of sedition in relation to his cartoons. At least five of his cartoon books, compilations of original contents and his work previously published online, have been banned or confiscated by authorities. His Kuala Lumpur-based office and those of the printers who produce his volumes have been raided several times.

Despite these threats, Zunar continues to draw, challenging the same forces that seek to silence him. He currently faces nine counts of sedition and up to 43 years in jail in connection with nine critical tweets, including one with an embedded cartoon portrait of Prime Minister Najib Razak acting as a court judge, that he posted on February 10, 2015, in connection with a court decision to jail the country’s main opposition leader on sodomy charges. Zunar’s sedition trial is scheduled for late 2015.

Zunar is the first full-time cartoonist to receive the Committee to Project Journalists’ International Press Freedom Award. While the attack on the staff of Charlie Hebdo in Paris in January 2015 showed the risks some cartoonists face in reprisal for their work, the legal harassment Zunar endures is indicative of the type of threats that outspoken satirists contend with around the world. CPJ highlighted these threats in its 2015 report, “Drawing the Line,” in which Zunar’s cartoons and case were featured.

In 2011 and 2015, Human Rights Watch honored Zunar with its Hellman/Hammett Award. In 2011, he was also the recipient of the “Courage in Editorial Cartooning Award” by the Washington-based Cartoonist Rights Network International.

Image and text reposted from CPJ.org

My latest cartoon book,”Lawak & Lawan” to protest Malaysian draconian printing act

My latest cartoon book, Lawak & Lawan (Fun & Fight) is produced to protest the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA). Among cited in this Act under section, 11 (2) requires the name of the printer to be printed in each publication. Failure to comply can be punished with imprisonment not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding RM5000 ( about USD1800) or both.

Before this I have always complied the requirements by the Act to include the name of the printer in my books. What happens from that is that the printers, often times, get raided by the authorities. For example, back in 2009, the printer who printed “Gedung Kartun” was raided by the Home Ministry officials. In 2010, the printer who printed “Cartoon-O-Phobia” was raided by 20 policemen. In the raid, they searched the place and seized the printing plates.

It was reported that the printers were threatened that their licenses will be revoked if they continue printing my books in the future. There were also reports of these ministry officers demanding money. The actions by the government had instilled fear in the printers from printing my books.

For the book prior to this, “1 Moolaysia”, I had to search for theree months before finally found a brave printer who was willing to print my books.

These events proved that the requirement by the PPPA to include the printer’s name in books is used by the government not for the purpose of controlling but more of restricting freedom of speech by ‘killing’ books and printed materials that are critical of the Malaysian government.

Due to that, I have deleted the name of the printer in my new book “Lawak & Lawan” as a protest. I know this would be contrary to the law, but I have a moral obligation to fight against draconian laws such as the PPPA.

I am ready to face legal risk for my action.

I also know that, as a result, this book will be tough to sell since it cannot be sold in public premises, but I am also willing to bear that risk.

*****
Background:
Zunar’s cartoons unravel the issues of the Altantuya murder, the Scorpene scandal, election fraud, corruption, injustice, abuse of power and waste of public funds by the Malaysian gevernment.

Zunar’s six cartoon books are currently banned by the Malaysian government for allegedly “having contents that can incite public hatred and stoke riots against the government”.

Zunar was arrested on the 24th September 2010 under the Sedition Act for allegedly publishing a ‘seditious’ cartoon book.

Zunar was the recipient of the “Courage in Editorial Cartoon” from the Cartoonist Rights Network International, Washington DC in 2011.

A statement by Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar in response to the court ruling regarding his detention –  1 st August 2012

I am extremely disappointed with the Malaysian High Court’s ruling that my detention under the Sedition Act in September 2010 was according to the law.

On the 24th of September 2010, I was arrested and jailed for two days just a few hours before the launching of my new comic book, Cartoon-O-Phobia.

I then filed a suit to challenge the Malaysian government on the grounds that the arrest was made in bad faith, mala fide, and unlawful.

But on the 31^st of July 2012, the Kuala Lumpur High Court had held that the detention was lawful, based on the grounds that the police officers had reasonable grounds to suspect that the book was seditious. In the ruling, the high court clearly encourages police to use the power to detain anyone solely based on mere suspicion. This will help the Malaysian government to use more criminal laws to stop me from producing more cartoons that expose the corruptions by the Malaysian government.

The arrest was part of the modus operandi by the government to stop me from producing political cartoons unfavorable to them.

Prior to that, they started by confiscating my books in bookstores, but I continued to draw. That prompted the authority to raid my office, raid the printers and threatening them.

When all these still failed to stop me, they banned six of my books on the grounds that the contents are detrimental to public order. Finally, the detained me as a last resort.

The court has denied my fundamental right as a political cartoonist which contradicts the Malaysian Constitution that guarantees the freedom of expression to its citizen.

– Zunar, Political Cartoonist

The recipient of “Courage in Editorial Cartoons 2011” conferred by the Cartoonist Rights Network International in Washington D.C

The Malaysian government has defended its deportation of a Saudi journalist accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a tweet

Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said the deportation to Saudi Arabia was legal and that Malaysia cannot be seen as a safe haven.

Hamza Kashgari, 23, was sent back to Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Mr Kashgari’s controversial tweet last week sparked more than 30,000 responses and several death threats. Insulting the prophet is considered blasphemous in Islam and can be punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

He has since removed the tweet and apologised for his comments.

Mr Kashgari fled Saudi Arabia and was detained when he arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

His lawyers claimed to have obtained a court injunction to keep him in Malaysia. But the government deported him, saying that they did not receive any court order.

“I will not allow Malaysia to be seen as a safe country for terrorists and those who are wanted by their countries of origin, and also be seen as a transit county,” Mr Hussein was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.

According to the BBC’s Jennifer Pak, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia do not have a formal extradition treaty. This is the reason why human rights activists say that Malaysia has violated international human rights.

Amnesty International has said that Mr Kashgari is a “prisoner of conscience”.

“If he (Kashgari) faces execution back in Saudi Arabia, the Malaysian government will have blood on its hands,” said Phil Robertson, Asia deputy director of Human Rights Watch.